11 May 2012

Long before the mainstream media woke up and decided to start treating Roy Hodgson with respect, this site defended the former Reds manager against the continual personal and professional ridicule he experienced at the hands of so-called Liverpool 'fans'. The disgraceful hounding of Hodgson is, IMO, a shameful chapter in the club's history, so it's good to see ex-players giving the new England manager the respect he deserves.

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy worked under Hodgson at Fulham, and he has nothing but praise for his former manager, and in an interview Sport recently, Murphy endorsed Hodgson's appointment as England manager:

"My only thought when I heard he got the job was pleasure for him. I know what a gentleman he is and what a knowledgeable man he is and the players will certainly go into the Euros knowing what he wants from them. They will be well organised. He will do his country proud. I think he is a terrific coach, an absolute gentleman and I am really pleased for him"

Last week, the S*n ran a front page headline mocking Hodgson's speech impediment, a move which was roundly condemned by the FA, and many high profile people in football.

Such childish mockery was par for the course when Hodgson was in charge at Anfield though, with Liverpool 'fans' constantly ridiculing everything they could about the man.

As I said, it's a shameful episode in the club's recent history, and what makes it even more amusing is that fans now defend Kenny Dalglish - who has a worse record - with the same excuses they used to incessantly attack Hodgson. You really couldn't make it up.

78 comments:

The abuse Hodgson got towards the end of his Liverpool career wasn't right. We as fans let ourselves down by letting the abuse get personal. But that being said, Hodgson just didn't hack at it Liverpool. His signings were awful and the style of play was just terrible to watch. But that doesn't excuse how he was hounded out of Liverpool. I wish him luck with England.

A Gentleman who thinks he need only to please his paymasters, the fans dont count as proved by his total lack of knowledge of Liverpool fans - He alienated them, then blamed them. It would take a book to list His, thoughtless, ignorant, pathetic and sometimes deliberate insults to Liverpool fans, H is first spoken thought being made Liverpool Manager "I hope this dosnt affect My relationship with Sir Alex" it was not a joke He meant it. He spoke against the Spirit of Shankly group who were opposed to Hicks and Gillett because they were paying His wages ete etc etc etc etc etc etc.

With all due respect, this post is indicative of the ignorant view of Hodgson. It's funny how everyone else in the football world has great respect for the man, but Liverpool fans continually try and besmirch him in the most ridiculous fashion.

" It would take a book to list His, thoughtless, ignorant, pathetic and sometimes deliberate insults to Liverpool fans,"

Roy couldn't hack it at LFC and he was rude about players and the fans to the press on more than one occasion. Why doesn't the person who wrote this piece realise this is another attempt by the media to the blame on the Liverpool fans for Roy's failure at our club. Roy might be a gentleman but he was a rubbish manager for us .. End of

I wasn't a Hodgson fan long before he came to Liverpool there was just something about him I couldnt take too. He was to me like the wimpy character in a Soap that you neither liked or disliked.The FA said we want an English Manager, and the candidates were few and far between Harry Redknapp cant wheel and deal in the transfer market as an International Manager and though he got off with tax evasion the jury is still out on that one in many other peoples opinions. Pardew has done well at Newcastle, Steve Bruce got the bullet so he went out of the running, and Stuart Pearce isn't good enough.So your left with Roy Hodgson. Probably a great ambassador for the game but he has always had low profile jobs and when he got a high profile job he couldn't hack it and blamed everyone else. Was it the WBA v Everton game this season he was banging the back of his head against a wall on the bench. The tabloids are going to love that sort of reaction at an England game.

As an honest Liverpool fan I will admit that I signed the petition to get rid of Hodgson. He might b a gentleman but he's very limited as a mngr as he's won nothing of any importance in long managerial career. I've said it b4 and I will always say it that replacing EUROPEAN CUP WINNER with LMA mngr of the year has to b the worst decision LFC has ever made. As I've said b4 I love Lfc more than any individual and I want to c my club compete for proper trophys. That's why even now I hope thatFSG do the right thing for the club and move KD on and get better mngr. The sooner the better.

"The Roy Hodgson Vs Kenny Dalglish" argument it's an utterly non sense and a total embarassement....What's the point from this? Kenny's 2012 record was poor, but the season's overall overcome the Roy's failure.If Roy deserves a chance with England, this argument shouldn't be the occasion to denigrate Kenny Dalglish, Who brought back some silverware after six torrid years which see the Trophy's cabinet empty...Maybe It wasn't the best of league campaign, but three consecutive trips to Wembley road should be enough to give some time to a manager, especially after years of embarassement and umiliation, as smaller Clubs like Barnsley, Burnley, Reading, Northampton knocked down Liverpool from domestic competitions. You speak about record, but You should remind that Roy left the Club in 13th place, three points clear from the dropping zone: not good enough for LFC standard.I have nothing but praise and respect for Roy as a person, but When You manager Liverpool, And You sit in mid - table mediocrity, the stats are there to suggest that parting company with the manager could be a valid option.It's not a "Roy Hodgson Vs Kenny Dalglish" race, only because You have an agenda to keep on...And If Roy deserved respect, and a chance, according to your point, then We should give a chance to a manager Who get some silverware, too...or not?Your agenda is increasingly an irritation, and your "Roy Hodgson Vs Kenny Dalglish" argument is a total embarassement.You can't take any argument as an occasion to denigrate KING KENNY DALGLISH: You're simply pathetic.

hodgson was fucked from day one but so was anyone who came in after rafa under those 2 clowns.the club was close to going bust,the home games were more about protests than supporting the side.people forget that rafas last season was dreadful under the same regime.i'm not hodgsons biggest fan and never wanted him at lfc but he was treated with venom and disdain by most lfc fans and bandwagon jumpers.

I'm tired to see my post deleted by You, due to the fact that I hit the target with my argues... You can't take any argument as a valid occasion to move criticism against Kenny: it's not an honest behaviour or way of action."Roy Hodgson Vs Kenny Dalglish" it's not a valid argument and You seems to apply Liverpool's way according to your personal interests.If ROy deserved time and a proper chance, a Manager Who restored some pride with a silverware, He deserves a proper chance too.Your only choice is to delete my post only because I'm not too far away from the true.

Right, and those comments deserve constant personal denigration? Dalglish has said far worse that this during the Suarez-Evra situation, not to mention his comments about Downing being 'better than he thought he was' etc.

Manchester Utd have had what their fans consider to be dreadful owners also, but that hasn't been an excuse for them to plummet down the league has it??

Hodgson was handed a short rope, but he was given a little time by most fans. He burnt that rope very quickly though, with the short sighted transfer policy, and dreadful performances (as well as dreadful results) on the pitch and in press conferences. In stark contrast, Pardew was given a short rope at Newcastle, but delivered above expectations and so quickly won over his fans, which we all know are a fickle lot. Whether Hodgson was given 6 months or 6 years, it still would've been too long, as the club would never have achieved anything under Hodgson. Whether his successors all fail likewise, or not, is irrelevant.

Btw, just talking up our opponents and talking down our own club at every opportunity doesn't make the guy a gentleman in my eyes...

I don't believe I have been hypocritical here...after all i have made NO COMMENT on Dalglish, other than to point out that you, once again, manage to insert anti-Dalglish comments into a (somewhat) unrelated article.

Also, I am not vitriliolic...I like the guy, he seems pleasant and a very nice man. He just couldn't handle the expectation level of Liverpool Football Club and continually made comments reflective of a mid-table club.

His signings were awful - Poulsen & Konchecky in particular, and he never once seemed "in tune" with Liverpool Fans & Club as a whole.

I'm not angry towards him, he should never have been hired in the first place.

Finally, that away win at Bolton was, at the time, HODGSONS FIRST AWAY WIN IN OVER A YEAR - Is that really something befitting a Liverpool Manager?

You seem to be ignoring the fact that Dalglish is personally derided in much the same manner as with Hodgson, even on your own site!

And even ignoring the deplorable style of play under Hodgson, Dalglish doesn't have a worse record than him anyway.

Hodgson had his chance and he blew it, simple as. Some fans may have gone over the top in blurring the lines between the man and the manager, but the refusal to accept his desire to push LFC down was right imo.

The results this year have been abysmal, but on the pitch performances AND results under Hodgson made for another shameful chapter in the club's history.

Well, i was ridiculed and constantly attacked on TIA for defending Roy against the wave of abuse that he received at our Club....in fact even long after he was hounded out a certain Moderator llfc Eddie...made it his business to troll my posts and constantly remind the site that i was an admirer of Roy's etc right up to the point where he banned me indefinitely for having an opinion HE didn't like....and that was a senior and apparently "respected" poster....

Fact is, even though i was in agreement that his position had become unworkable at the Club....i felt his time at the Club was doomed from the start mainly because of the bitterness many fans felt towards rafa's departure.....also because certain players IMO (mainly rafa's admirers...) were not interested in playing for him....i.e torres and Reina etc, hence our drastic dip in form which was not entirely of Roys doing....

Very glad that Murphy has come out with these comments tbh, it shows a level of decency and respect for the man that he deserves, granted he may never be a top class manager but i think we embarrassed ourselves big time by succombing to such crass behaviour ESP as rafa was aggressively defended from any negative comments let alone ridicule.... in the name of the holy trinity etc and Liverpool Way....WE DON'T SACK OUR MANAGERS MID TERM......WE'RE NOT A SMALL CLUB ETC...

Effectively that episode lowered the bar considerably and made us look VERY small club minded.....singing Dalglish's name whilst Roy was still with us was the final insult...yet ironically it was ALL justified and blamed on him for his disrespect towards the Club and players...??????????

Even with his appointment as England manager the ridicule continues amongst the fan base, fine, if someone doesn't rate him but the vile and contempt is STILL apparent (TIA) its just double standards IMO, i happen to dislike rafa in perhaps the same way that others dislike Roy but i try to put my p.o.v. across by highlighting his flaws (as i see them...) not by ridiculing him, i wish Roy all the best with England tbh, i think it gives him another crack at a high profile appointment (probably his last) and hopefully this time around the players will be willing to do their best for him and their country.

Anyone else find it highly ironic that the one newspaper we despise so much has been admonished for printing the same kind of bile that you get to read on some Liverpool forums......?

Anyway, best of luck Roy, hope you do yourself and your country proud.

* Dalglish's signings are worse* Dalglish's performance is the league is worse.* Dalglish's home record is worse* Dalglish's handling of the media is MUCH worse* Dalglish's handling of LFC business is worse* Dalglish had to apologise for behaviour 'not befitting a Liverpool manager'

With all this in mind, it's hilarious you still choose to attack Hodgson.

If someone called me pigheaded I would see it as an insult, after all, I'm a normal human being who is sometimes factually incorrect, and on that basis may change my opinion if I find out I have been so......doesn't happen often, if at all, might I add...

Sat there all bloody glum, up Fergies arse, after we lost to Utd, fergie calling Torres a diver, Hodgson no balls to stand up for his player just accepted the crap from 'SIR ALEX' as he stated in that sky interview after the game.We all love that, our manager up Fergies arse and not prepared to look after your ownRoy was shite at LFC(Boring, Dull and losing!!!!)and will fail to get out the group at Euros!! All this about his experience , his prestige, blah blah. What has he ever Won?? few scandanavian cups/leagues!!!Atleast KK has attacked teams, battered them, hit woodwork 30 TIMES, missed chances(7 penalties!!that could add 14 points) and LOST!!!!!!!!!Keep the doom and Gloom coming on here, Love it, makes my day when we WIN like Tuesday as didnt see anything in response to that performance!!!Carroll the world beater!!!Ha ha

But still holds his head up high as HE LOVES OUR club. Oh and also WON a trophy for 1st time in 6 years.Sod the stats, I was bored to death watching us under ROY, boring and defensive with shite squad.ROY LOST to mighty NORTHAMPTON at HOME!!!!!!! you forget points that derail your arguments!!

I think it is a personal attack on KK. Rather say stubborn or something a bit more civil. When KK doesn't do as you want then he is pigheaded...it entirely suits your agenda to call KK pigheaded. Why? Cause saying someone is pigheaded gets under peoples noses, stirs things up and thats all good for "hits".

*Hodgson turned Aquilani, Mascherano, Insua, Riera etc into Poulsen, Meireles, Konchesky, Aurelio etc - his signings may not have been as expensive as Dalglish's but they were just as detrimental to the club.

*The performances of Hodgson's teams were consistently far worse than anything seen under either Benitez or Dalglish.

*Hodgson's away record was worse than Dalglish#s

*Hodgson's handling of the Liverpool fans was MUCH worse than Dalglish's

I don't know what you're referring to by Liverpool business...

*Hodgson should have apologised for his dire mismanagement of the club!

Dalglish has failed on his return, and HAS suffered a lot of criticism for that, but none of that has anything to do with, or should see revisionist history applied to Hodgson's time.If that was the case, then you should have to retract all of your criticism of Benitez, as he clearly did a much better job than Hodgson did (and had a more impressive CV to fall back on, as a promise of a potentially better future)

Telling the media that the best we have played all season was the game against everton. We were terrible in that game and that is insulting the players in public.The players and the fans know when the manager makes comments that are insulting.He also insulted Johnson about being englands right backand his current poor form which was largely due to the restrictions Hodgson put on his defence.Hodgson frequently had poor media conferences and blamed anyone else to make up for his poor on field tactics and results.

* How is Mascherano's insistence on leaving anything to do with Hodgson? Insua and Konchesky were arguably on the same level; Aquilani made it clear he wanted to play in Italy. Meireles was a successful signing; in what universe was he 'detriminental' the club? Is his 'detrimental' performance the reason Chelsea bought him.

* Away record may have been worse, but Dalglish's home record is worse than Hodgson's away record, which is ultimately a more detrimental thing.

* Handling of Liverpool fans was worse? How exactly? Dalglish has insulted the intelligence of fans all season (Comments about Downing being better than he thought; trying to get fans to accept mediocrity; arguing that his signings are successful; saying that it would take 'a hell of a player' to improve upon them etc). If Hodgson said things like that, he would've been crucified. Additionally, Dalglish has also praised Ferguson several times this season, but was he attacked for it like Hodgson?

* Why should Hodgson apologise? Hodgson took over at a time of incredible internal conflict, and he had massive problems to deal with. Dalglish has had every possible advantage, as did Benitez.

There's no revisionism here - fans simply fail to acknowledge the dozens of problems Hodgson had to deal with, and act as if it was a normal state of affairs. In such an environment - coupled with ridiculous fan abuse - he never stood a chance.

Not an unfounded assertion as you point out!Click on link to read about Hodgsons public apology to Johnson for his PUBLIC insulting comments about Johnsons form.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1329589/Liverpool-boss-Roy-Hodgson-apologises-Glen-Johnson-blasting-par-performances.html

*I didn't say Mascherano wanting to leave was anything to do with Hodgson. Hodgson wasn't forced to hold onto the guy until the end of the window and have his hand forced, or to replace the guy with Poulsen though.

*Aquilani made it clear that he was a Liverpool player and would do his job as a Liverpool player. Hodgson wasn't forced to dump him out on a deal that was so unfavorable to Liverpool (which Dalglish somehow decided to emulate a year later)

*I didn't say that Meireles individually was detrimental to the club. I said that on the whole, Hodgson's transfer business was equally detrimental to Liverpool as Dalglish's has been - in one transfer window he accelerated our transition into being an ageing, midtable squad.

*We'll have to agree to differ on the quality of Insua and Konchesky. Insua had quality going forwards and was a young player, capable of improving on his defensive failings. Konchesky arguably as poor at the back as Insua, but was of far lesser quality going forwards, and was of an age where he was only likely to get worse over time.

*Hodgson insulted the intelligence of fans with his constant talking up of opponents, and "managing expectations" of LFC.

*Dalglish admittedly made a fool of himself and the club over the Suarez incident, which is where the leash rapidly burnt for me.

*Hodgson continually said that the owners were making funds available for him but that he didn't want to spend it on players that wouldn't improve what he thought was already a very good squad. The owners were just used a scapegoat to excuse failure under Benitez, and likewise under Hodgson. The team could, and should, have performed a lot better regardless of what was going on off the pitch.

Hodgson DID have a chance - win and you get the fickle fans onside, as exemplified by Pardew at Newcastle, who was brought in to more disdain from his fans than Hodgson received at Liverpool. You only get one chance at making a first impression though, and Hodgson's first (and lasting) impression was way below par.

Lol, everyone else inthe football world has respect for him. That's an exaggeration if i've ever seen one. The reason the fans of other clubs did not mind him was because the likes of West Brom and Fulham consider finishing 9-14 as a big success.

jaimie I also find that when someone makes 4 or 5 points about why Hodgson was terrible you will attack one of those points which might be slightly untrue but ignore the other valid ones.

I also don't see how Dalglish's record has anything to do with the way hodgson was treated. Would it make you happier if Dalglish was treated the same way? People are allowed to have their favourites. With the millions and millions Roy was paid and with the terrible job he did I think he got everything he deserved.

Dalglish has been shocking too and should be asked to leave at the end of the season.

Just so fed up of being embarrassed by Liverpool fans tbh, yet another cringeworthy chapter in our recent history.....

To all those fans who still think its funny to be calling Roy Woy just try to understand one point if nothing else....

IT WAS THE NEWSPAPER THAT YOU PROFESS TO HATE SO MUCH BECAUSE OF ITS CRASS HANDLING OF THE HILLSBROUGH TRAGEDY... THAT HAS BEEN ADMONISHED AND FROWNED UPON FOR THEIR HANDLING/RIDICULE OF THE ROY HODGSON APPOINTMENT AS ENGLAND MANAGER.........................

When will the penny finally drop with you people??? Don't you get it??

You are behaving in the same manner as THAT daily rag......FFS get a grip and start conducting yourselves with some dignity and SELF RESPECT....we don't others to bring this Club down IMO "we" are doing a very good job of it ourselves.....

I criticise Dalglish in a fair, non-personal manner, and I did the same with Hodgson. I also defended Hodgson against unfair abuse, and I would do the same with Dalglish, but he has not received that kind of abuse from fans. There's no contradiction here - I treat everyone the same, and I don't have favourites.

I agree the level of personal attacks against Hodgson were disgraceful and tarnished the reputation of the club and those of our fans - we used to be appreciated for our knowledge of the game and willingness to be fair-minded but sadly much has now gone. The main problem for Hodgson was that he became associated with the previous owners and the many problems surrounding the club at the time he came in.

Jaime - I used to enjoy coming to this site as you often presented a different, and at times provocative perspective. But now I find most of your articles and the level of anti-Dalglish invective really disappointing (as a journalist where's the sense of balance?) and no better than some of the personal comments in many of the posts.

Agree the treatment served up to RH was totally out of order and the and the same is disrespect is being hurled at KD this is hypacritical which fails to meet the term my point of view you, this fails to meet the term debate Y You may of noticed what happended to Rangers last week Wherby a possible buyer pulled out of negotiations to purchase one reason given was Fan Power (Mob Mentality) this is what happening to our club all this started in Rafas term. Spilt the fan base. Scouser. john davidson

Hodgson is a bit of a football dinosaur and, when i was younger, i played under characters like him, dull, souless and felt that they were the first person to think of some of the old, tired ideas that they came out of. Need a certain type of player to play for him because he doesn't appear to have good motivational skills and certainly does not know what to do with a player who possesses an individual streak. I'm glad England have him now because all the supporters who said we were unfair to him can now see, first hand, how poor and unimaginative he is.

He suits teams who are fighting for their lives, rather than teams who want to dominate and, as such, he is probably a good choice for England, rather than Liverpool, as expectations need to be lowered and we need to realise that we probably are not as good as we like to think we are. But, at Liverpool he was a joke and, regardless of KD's poor signings, bringing in Poulsen and Konchesky to play for this club showed how limited he was. If money was tight, bring in one quality player and use youngsters. He has no track record of doing a great job with talented players, he wasn't THAT great at Inter, and i suspect the reason he appears to trust and perform better with journeymen is because he is one himself. Sure, the abuse he suffered here was wrong, but he is an average manager and, much as i don't rate Redknapp that much, he should not have been given the job. The FA have reverted to type and brought in another 'yes' man.

I'm neither pro or anti Dalglish so your views don't conflict so your line doesn't hold water. Yes I've been really disappointed with our league form and yes some of our performances have been woeful at times and his attitude to the press has been embarrassing at times. Equally I think there is enough there to warrant KD being given more time. But if it doesn't work out then the club will move on with somebody else in charge and loyalty should first and foremost be to the club.

I have no problem with you taking a side, but as I said a little balance wouldn't hurt in presenting the 'facts'.

Otherwise we risk ending up like all the other clubs who just want to change the manager every 12mths and who in their right mind would want to come then?

Hodgson has managed 2 top clubs Inter and Liverpool and they didnt keep him long, one semi big club Blackburn who were league champs just prior to him joining who also didnt keep him long and now England, before that he was the Darren Bent of football managers, he had more clubs than Tiger Woods.He is good at getting clubs from the lower reaches into respectable mid table positions ie Fulham and WBA and if your in the bottom 3 he is the man to call in for the rescue.Like most England managers before him he may get us into the knockout stages but no further. Also why have we given him 4 years at England, surely 2 is enough if he flops in the Euro's and the World Cup then we have to keep him another 2 years or pay him off. He has had more compo cheques than Ron Atkinson.

O my God I expect the same old negative comments against KD, Refa, Suarez, Spirit of Shankly. But please Jamie this is a beauty 'Insua and Konchesky were arguably on the same level' Is that you arguing that ? Because Sporting Lisbon don't agree and as for Konchesky I have to say he set the championship on fire hasn't he? No. Also one of the players slaughtered by the anti-Benitez cult, you are so proud to be part of. was Insua yet Mr Hodgson paid £3 million plus 2 kids to get a replacement in your words he was no better than. How can you defend that? Seriously I'm all for constructive criticism but it works both ways and to suggest Dalglish's record is worse than Hodgson when the latter lost to Northampton at Anfield is selective. Many believe the Liverpool job was too big for him and if left in charge we could easily have found ourself in relegation trouble. Does that mean this season is acceptable? No but you're very quick on attacking KD and Rafa Benitez yet you defend Roy Hodgson, now who has the best record of the 3? It isn't Mr Hodgson